


An Alchemist's Legacy

by DreadWolfMoon



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Continuation, Elric, Gen, Kids, Murder, Mystery, Next Generation, Rockbell, Spoilers, post-Brotherhood end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-03-09
Packaged: 2017-11-27 10:39:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadWolfMoon/pseuds/DreadWolfMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> - “You formed the Draconia Guild to help ensure that events didn’t repeat themselves, to protect the people of this country and be your secret service. That does not include killing innocent people in the line of fire, we’re not soldiers!” -</i>
</p><p>The war is over, the country of Amestris is at peace. Felicia "Felix" Elric, daughter of the Fullmetal Alchemist, is part of an anti-terrorist government group called Draconian Guild, started to prevent anyone from trying to create Homunculi or disturb the peace of Amestris. But something is rotting the Guild from the core, and it's up to Felix, her cousin and their friends to find out who is causing it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Felix Adonai Elric

**Author's Note:**

> Events in this take place AFTER the end of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Don't read this if you haven't finished the series!
> 
> Enjoy!

### <h3>Chapter 1 - Felix Adonai Elric<h3>

_“Have you got him?”_

“Target acquired. Commencing pick-up.”

_“Keep your eye on him, Elric.”_

“Yes sir.”

_“Hey, Felix, it’s me, do you want me to let your dad know how long you’ll be gone?”_

“Negative, Van. Just tell him…..” The voice trailed off and fell silent for a few moments.

_“…Hello? Felix, do you copy?”_

Felix’s head tilted up to look at the moon, the glowing orb reflected in her black goggles. “Just let him know I won’t be home for dinner tonight.”

 There was a sigh from the other end of the com link. _“Ok. Bye.”_ There was a crackle of static and it cut off. Felix frowned as she thought of how the conversation between her dad and Van would go. Probably very badly, but she didn’t want to be around to see it. Wait, scratch that, she WOULDN’T be around to see it.  She sighed, her father would not be happy that she’d missed a family meal, especially this one. It was the anniversary of the day her father and brother had destroyed the would-be god, and the day her father celebrated her uncle finally getting his body back. But Van and her elder brother and little sister would be there, it’s not like they noticed when she was there anyway.

 But she couldn’t think about that now. She had a mission to do. She rose from her crouch, standing on the edge of the tower block in Central. Her long hair floated around her black-clad form, the guns strapped to her side and back bumping against her as she pulled out her hook-shot device. It looked like a normal gun, if not a little bulkier, with a slim yet strong metal cord folded up inside. Its small three-pronged claw tucked into the barrel of the gun shone as she raised it to aim at the building opposite her. She had 3 minutes before her target came out of the building, so 2 minutes to get a strong enough hold on its smooth brick surface. She took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. The cord unfurled as the claw shot towards the building, wrapping around the head of a gargoyle halfway down. Felix unfurled the rest of the cord, securing it to a bit of metal scaffolding welded to the roof. She tested the strength. Should be enough to take her weight. She didn’t exactly weigh a lot, at least she didn’t take after her father with his automail leg. So far at least. She smiled grimly as she stood on the edge of the building, already clipped onto the cord. You never knew, maybe this would be the day her father could finally say “I told you so, Felicia, I told you one day you’d end up with one of these”. Jerk.

 Golden light seeping from the open door dragged her mind back to the present. Damn it, she’d taken too long thinking about her stupid family life. She frowned and jumped off the edge of the roof, zip-wiring towards the building opposite. She dropped just before she crashed into it, landing silently on the pavement below.  She hid quickly in the shadows beside it, grabbing her shotgun from her back, loading it. Intel had said the target usually came this way home from the club, but this time he wouldn’t make it back to his penthouse. That’s what you get for experimenting with humans, possibly creating homunculi. The Guild wouldn’t stand for it, so therefore she couldn’t either.

  Footsteps approached her, and she shrank back further into her little annex where there was a Felix-sized gap in the wall, underneath a fire escape. Unfortunately she took after her father more than she wanted to admit, with her small frame and narrow shoulders. Add that to her long, almost white blonde hair and she could have been the spitting image of him 17 years ago. Her little sister, Pinaco, took after her mother, and Felix often couldn’t help resenting her darling angelic smile and wide blue eyes.

  Laughter crept towards her ears. Wait, that wasn’t right, this guy was supposed to be alone. Must have picked up a whore in the club for a little evening’s entertainment. She growled inwardly and activated her radio.

  _“What is it?”_

“He’s with a civilian.”

  _“So?”_

 “So, do we abort? She’s an innocent bystander.”

  _“Listen Felix, no-one is innocent when it comes to Sir Roland. Just get this over with. Think of it as collateral damage. Over.”_

 The radio cut out. Felix swore silently. Ok, maybe she could get Roland without harming the woman. She pulled her mask over her mouth and nose, so her entire face was covered. Shadows came into the alley, and she saw Roland laughing drunkenly as he supported his female companion, who was murmurings in his ear. She heard Roland reply incoherently, before the woman laughed as he shoved her against a wall. Felix raised her weapon. She did not want to wait until he was done, although she got the impression it wouldn’t take long with him. She aimed the gun as Roland shoved his hand up the woman’s skirt, and pulled the trigger. He moved at the last second, and the woman screamed as she was hit in the chest by the bullet.

 Felix swore loudly again and reloaded another bullet into the chamber, firing at Roland before he could turn and see her. He lurched forwards as he was hit in the back, slamming into the wall and sliding down it to lie in a heap on top of the dead prostitute. The alley fell silent. Felix lowered the still-smoking weapon and stared at the bodies. Damn you Roland, she thought. Damn you to burn in Hell. Her chest heaved as she panted, the shock from hitting the woman finally getting to her. Her head swam as the realisation sunk in. But she couldn’t stay here forever, she had to move. She took out a bottle of oil and a lighter, quickly drawing the symbol of the dragon circled by flames onto the pavement with shaking hands. She carefully ignited it, the flames running along the smooth lines of the symbol. It would burn for hours.

 As Felix began to run back down the alley, her radio crackled to life. _“Elric, report, did you get him?”_

 “Confirmed, get me though to him.”

_“Negative, Elric, he can’t be bothered right now.”_

“I don’t care, connect him!”

_“I said negative, Elric! He’s busy!”_

“I don’t care if he’s in a meeting with God himself, patch me through!”

  _“Negative. You are to report directly to me, did you get him?”_

 Felix sighed as she sprinted round a corner towards her car. “Affirmative, sir. It’s done.”

 There was a pause at the other end of the line. _“Well done, Elric. Your mission is complete now, you’re relieved of duty. Have a nice meal with your family.”_

Felix grinned darkly as she got into the car and started the engine. Yeah, she’d have a nice meal, after she’d gone to see the Commander.

 

 Riza looked up as the doorbell rang. Putting down her newspaper and taking off her glasses, she stood and walked out of the sitting room and into the lobby. She wasn’t expecting anyone at this hour…

 She gasped as she saw Felix standing in the pouring rain outside. “Felicia….we weren’t expecting you! Please, come in,” she said and smiled as she stepped aside to let the dripping girl in.

 “Thank you,” Felix said. She hated it when people called her by her real name.  Felicia Adonai Elric, the prized first daughter of the Fullmetal Alchemist and Winry Rockbell. Expected to be everything her father was, and everything her mother was, and everything her uncle was, and her grandfather, and her grandmother Pinaco… Bit of an unreachable pedestal they wanted her to stand on. She wasn’t even sure she was an alchemist, unlike her cousin Van Elric-Chang, who had been transmuting sculptures and decorations since he was able to draw perfect circles on the floor, so since he was about 3. Felix tried not to be jealous, she honestly did, but it was tricky sometimes.

 “I didn’t think you would be visiting us this evening,” Riza said as she sat down in her armchair by the fire, Black Hayate by her side. “At least not after your mission.”

 Felix froze, half-sat on the sofa. She looked down, lowering herself onto the velvety couch. “I….didn’t know you knew about that.”

 “Of course I do,” Riza said with a slight smile. “I know everything my husband does, with only a few exceptions.”

 Felix looked at the calm, cool woman opposite her, her perfect face marred only by a few lines. “Is he here? I need to talk to him.”

Riza was silent, glancing at the ornate clock on the mantelpiece above the roaring fire. The flmaes threw flickering shadows over the heavy, deep red drapes covering the bay windows, and danced on the hundreds of books lining the walls. The eyes of the figures in the portrait above the two of them stared stoically down at them. “He is. I’ll just get him.” She stood and walked silently out of the room, Black Hayate following loyally behind her.

 Thunder boomed outside as the rainfall intensified, drumming against the glass. Felix sat with her hands in her lap. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 9pm. The family would be just sitting down to dinner. She knew how the events would play out. Her father would sit at the head of the table, her mother at the other end. Her siblings, Joseph and Pinaco, would take their places next to each other on the left side, and they would all stare at her empty seat on the other side. Then her father would sigh, and begin to serve the meal, carefully laid out in front of them. She would get an earful when she got home that night, but she couldn’t help that, she was just doing her duty to her country. Not that she could tell her father that. Top secret included not telling a former state alchemist and ally of the Commander.

 Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Felix jumped up, standing in casual stance that hid a killer instinct, but when she saw the imposing figure behind Riza she snapped to attention respectfully. The Commander had that effect on people.

 Riza walked in, followed by the Commander. His sleek black hair was beginning to have flecks of silver in it, but his black eyes were as sharp as ever as they scrutinised her.

 “Furher Mustang, sir,” Felix said respectfully.

 He smiled slightly as he sat down in the armchair next to Riza’s, and motioned for the girl to sit. “I don’t think you have to stand on ceremony, Felicia, after all I was there when you took your first steps.”

 Felix tensed as he spoke her name, which he noticed with a sly glance.

 “Ah, I see,” he spoke quietly. “You prefer Felix now, don’t you?”

 “Yes sir.”

 Roy gave a short laugh, and rested his forehead on his fingers. “And how does your father react to all this? You changing your name that he gave you, sneaking out at night and coming home covered in bruises and cuts? It can’t be very harmonious, I imagine. What does he think of you joining the Draconian Guild?”

 Felix blinked and looked down at the floor.

 “Oh. He doesn’t know.”

 She shook her head. “Top secret is top secret, sir. I figured if you wanted him to know you’d just tell him yourself.”

 Roy surveyed her for a second, then sat up straighter. “You wanted to see me about something?”

 “Yes, sir,” Felix snapped back into report-mode. “Why was I told that killing someone to get to Roland is collateral damage?”

 Riza’s eyes flicked over to her husband. Collateral damage? What had Roy gotten himself mixed into this time…

 “What happened tonight, Elric,” he asked darkly, keeping his gaze steady.

 “I was waiting for Sir Roland, he came out of the club with…a friend, and in the process of killing Roland, she also died. I wanted to postpone the mission until he was alone, but was told not to. We’re not murderers, sir,” she said quietly, fixing her eyes on his. “You formed the Draconia Guild to help ensure that events didn’t repeat themselves, to protect the people of this country and be your secret service. That does not include killing innocent people in the line of fire, Mustang, we’re not soldiers!” Her voice had risen to a yell, and Black Hayate whined and covered his ears.

 The room fell silent, the ticking of the clock the only noise. Felix’s breath slowed, she had got too heated again. Damn it… She unclenched her fists and stood up straight.

 “You know, I sometimes forget how much like your father you are,” Roy said, his voice barely above a whisper.

 Felix gasped angrily, her dark gold eyes flashing. “I am nothing like my father,” she growled.

 “Tell me, why do you think that was an insult?” Roy stared at her.

 Felix struggled to find the right words that wouldn’t make her sound like a petulant child. “I…I’m just not like him,” she finished pathetically. Oh, good job, Felix! You really dodged the childish bullet there, didn’t you?

 Roy narrowed his eyes, and stood, walking over to the one window where the drapes had been thrown open, leaving the glass open to the elements beyond. He looked out into the rainy blackness, his hands behind his back. “I did not give the order to kill Roland,” he began calmly, although Riza knew when his quiet tone hid uncontainable anger. This was one of those times.  “Roland was on our list of suspects, but we hadn’t proved anything about his involvement with possible Homunculi, or anything incriminating.”

 “So…why was I ordered to kill him!” Felix burst out. If Roland was innocent….she would have killed two people tonight who didn’t deserve it. She would be a murderer.

“I don’t know. The order is next to impossible to trace, given the anonymity of the people involved with the Guild.” Roy turned to stare at the two women. “But no such order came from me. Whoever ordered his murder obviously wanted the blame to be entirely on the shoulders of the Guild, and more specifically the person who committed the murder.”

 “So someone is trying to frame me? What have I done? It’s not like I have many enemies….well, I never really avoided it, but not any that would want to frame me for murder!” Felix burst out, her mind whirling. Who would want to frame her though… maybe someone was trying to get to her father through her? Well, the joke was on them because she barely spoke to the man. Ha.

 “I don’t know who would want to do something like this…” Roy mused as he thought. “It’s possible that either Roland was going to give away someone’s involvement with criminal activities, or he was meant to put us off the scent by being killed. But we do know one thing,” he paused and looked at Felix carefully. “There is corruption in the ranks of the Guild. And you’re somehow involved with it.”

 “Is there anything we can do to protect her?” Riza asked quietly, her hand resting on Hayate’s head.

 “I don’t think that would be wise. It would give away the fact that we know something’s wrong here. I think the best thing we can do right now is continue like normal, but maybe take Felix off missions for the time being.” Roy raised his chin and surveyed the girl in front of him. “Meanwhile, I’m giving you this informal task. Can you find out who is behind this for me, without drawing any suspicion or violence. We can’t have any more innocent people dying, not on my watch.”

 “So you want me to be a double-agent. Work for the Guild but report directly to you?”

 “If you can be subtle about it, yes.”

 “Oh, please!” Felix waved her hand nonchalantly. “Subtle is my middle name! Leave it to me, sir.”

 “That’s another thing. If you take on this mission you will be raised rank. You don’t have to keep calling me sir.”

 “Ok, Uncle Roy?” Felix suggested.

 “No.”

 “Gramps?”

 “No! Just Mustang will do, thank you, Elric.” Roy sighed and put a hand over his face in exasperation. Why did he get this impression that Felix was taking after her father in too many ways… “That is all then, Felix,” he told her sternly, and the joke vanished from her face.

 “Right, you can count on me, sir. I’ll find out who we can’t trust in the Guild,” she replied, a determined look in her eye.

 Roy nodded, and Riza stood to let Felix out of the front door again and wave her off. “Why do things like this continue to happen?” he asked her when she returned. “Was I really so naïve when I thought all the evil in this country died with that Father guy and Bradley?” He ran a hand over his face, exhausted. “I’m getting old, Riza.”

 “If you are, then that means I am too,” she replied in her usual calm tone. “And I think neither of us are quite ready for that to happen just yet.” She smiled and took his hand, tilting her head up and kissing him.

 He gave a short, quiet laugh as they broke apart. “Maybe you’re right. After all, there’s a lot more to do in this country, and I don’t think I’m past my sell-by date quite yet.”

 

 Felix carefully opened the door, her heart pounding. She forced her feet to step quietly into the darkened house, and walk up the stairs, every step making her breath catch as the floorboards creaked slightly. She looked up and saw the familiar sight of the beams overhead. She grinned, and tensed her leg muscles, jumping silently into the air and grabbing a beam. She flipped herself up and over so she was crouching on top of it, her head grazing the ceiling. She bounced up and down slightly on the balls of her feet, ready to leap over to the next beam-

 “What are you doing up there, young lady?”

 The stern voice of her father made her yelp as she jumped, losing her balance and coming crashing to the floor at Ed’s feet.

 “Uh…hi, dad,” she said in what she hoped was a winning tone, rubbing her head and smiling innocently up at him. “I just didn’t want to wake you guys by the creaky floorboards, you know we really need to get those fixed, tell you what I’ll call someone in the morning and have them come over and fix them, ok? Cool, man am I beat, I think I’m just going to hit the hay, goodnight!” She leaped to her feet and scrambled up the stairs.

 “Wait,” Ed called to his daughter’s quickly retreating back. She froze and turned slowly to face him, standing halfway up the stairs. “Where have you been?”

 “Out.”

 “Where?”

 “Places!”

 “With anyone I know?”

 If you know Sir Roland and a prostitute, then yeah! “Not really.” Felix gulped as she stared her father down.

 “You missed dinner again.”

 “Oh, yeah, sorry about that, I guess I lost track of-“

 “It’s bad enough that you frequently disobey me and your mother,” Ed began, walking up the stairs to stand directly below her. “But you know how important this day is. If it wasn’t for what we all did on this day…”

 “I wouldn’t be alive, yeah I know, Dad, ok?” Felix rolled her eyes. She could have retorted with “And if it wasn’t for what I’m doing every godamn day, you wouldn’t be alive either, so suck it.” But she didn’t. Which took all her self-control.

 Ed opened his mouth to say something else, but changed his mind and sighed instead. “I understand you want to have your own life, but you have to know we all worry about you. You come home at all hours of the night, stinking of smoke and God knows what else, and you think you can just get away with it. But I can’t allow this any more. You’re disrupting all of our lives with what you’re doing! So…” Ed took a deep breath and glared at her. “You’re grounded.”

 “How long?” Felix stood with her arms folded over her chest, glaring right back.

 “1 month.”

 “Ok, you’re the boss. Well, I’m going to my room. For the next month. Goodnight!” She ran upstairs, and Ed heard her door slam shut.

 “What was all that about?” Winry asked as he went back into their room.

 “Huh? Oh…nothing.” He flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “Why is raising kids so damn hard!?”

 Winry smiled as she watched him. Ed still looked so much like the boy he always would be. His hair was still as long as ever, just add a few lines that the stress of bringing up a son who was almost ready to leave home, but was constantly complaining about sharing a room with a toddler, one hell-raising daughter, and a little four year-old that was already transmuting walls across their bedroom because, quote, “Joseph’s bum stinks up Pinaco’s side,” and you had 39 year-old Edward Elric. Later this year they would both turn 40, and she was not looking forwards to how he would take that.

 “What are you smiling at?” he asked her, a slight frown on his face.

 She shrugged. “Nothing. Never mind, go back to sleep.” She removed her reading glasses and laid them on the dressing table, closing her book on modern auto-mail techniques.

 Ed pouted and blew a bit of fringe out of his eye. “’K. Goodnight.” He reached across and turned off his light.

 “You know you were exactly like her, when you were her age,” Winry whispered to him across the darkness.

 He didn’t reply. Was he really that argumentative and hot-headed like she was? He didn’t think so, but he didn’t want to say that because somehow Winry would always be right. “That little punk probably woke up Al and the others when she came in,” he muttered, before rolling over and closing his eyes.

 

Felix lay on her back, her arms under her head, staring at the black ceiling. Her mind was in turmoil. She had taken two lives tonight, with no reason whatsoever. No matter what anyone told her, they were not collateral damage. They would stay with her until she figured out who was really responsible for the order to end their lives.

 A knock on the door made her eyes flick over it. “Felix?” It was Uncle Al, the only one who called her that in the family. “Are you awake?”

 “No.”

 “I’m coming in,” he told her in his gentle voice, and the door swung open.

 Felix wiggled up the bed until she was sitting with her back against the headboard. She reached over and turned on the light, the golden glow illuminating her sparse room, and the tear tracks on her face. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Hey, Uncle Al. What’s up?” She attempted a laugh, but it came out as a pathetic sob.

 Al sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at her in concern. When she thought about it, she was more comfortable emotionally with Al over her dad, there was no competition for the dominant role with him. “What happened tonight, Felix?” he asked, frowning.

 She shrugged, looking away.

 “You know you can tell me, I won’t get mad at you, I promise,” Al told her, smiling and trying to catch her eyes.

 She didn’t reply, still unable to look at him.

 Al sighed and looked down at his hands, folded in his lap. “I think I know what happened,” he began quietly.

 Felix’s eyes darted over at him. Chute….was Al allowed to know? She knew Mustang trusted Al more than Ed, because he was so hot-tempered, but she didn’t want him getting into trouble.

 “I think you’ve got involved in something bad, and you don’t know how to get out of it,” Al said, and Felix relaxed. Ok, she was good. Al didn’t know about the Draconia Guild.

 “Not really. Actually,” she broke off and laughed. “I’ve just got out of something bad, and into something good.” Although the good was definitely more dangerous than the bad. “I thought that something was wrong, and I was right. So I did what you always say to do.” She grinned at him. “I told someone, and he helped me to get out of it. So I’m good now, don’t worry, Uncle Al.” Except by helping her get out of it, she’d been thrown back into it, but at least this time she had a rope tied around her waist. She just hoped it was tied to something the other end.

 Al smiled back at her. “I always worry about you,” he said.

 “Yeah, well, you can’t any more, because soon you’ll have a baby of your own and you won’t have time to worry about the hell I’m raising because there’ll be a little bundle of fun raising hell at your house instead.”

 Al rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Looking forward to that one,” he replied darkly. “Did you speak to Van tonight?”

 Felix paused, then nodded. “Yeah, I told him I was too busy to go to dinner,” she said, her pulse quickening as she lied.

 “And that’s it?”

 “Yep, why?” She quickly turned the conversation back on him.

 “No reason. He just seemed a bit…distracted during dinner, and jumped whenever we mentioned you,” Al told her.

 Felix bit her lip. Poor Van, he was too sensitive to get messed up in this. She’d warn him next time she saw him. “Ok.”

 The two of them sat in silence for a while. Then Al turned and smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re ok,” he said, and hugged her. “Tell me if anything happens, ok? Anything, and I’ll be there.”

 “Thanks, Uncle Al,” she said and watched him walk out of her room. Then she frowned and got up to change into her nightclothes. She had to speak to someone pronto about what had happened in the Guild, and she had to assemble a team to help her with this. There was something big happening, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be alone.


	2. Old friends never leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a visit to his old master, Ed tries to find a way to bond with his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun to write! I hope you enjoy it too. Please kudos and/or comment if you did!

  **Chapter 2 - Old friends never leave**

 “How’s Winry been doing these days?” Izumi sipped her cup of tea, smiling across the table at her old student.

“She’s been doing ok, keeping busy with all her automail orders,” Ed replied, frowning. He kicked his leg impatiently and tapped the table with his finger, sighing.

“And the kids?” Izumi asked innocently, knowing full well that the children would be the reason for Ed’s annoyance.

Ed huffed again. “It’s Felicia,” he said after a short pause. “It’s like she doesn’t understand the hell she’s putting her mother and me through, she’s so irresponsible and she doesn’t listen to a damn word I say!” His fist slammed down the table, making his cup jump out of its saucer.

Izumi reached out smoothly and caught her own saucer as it attempted a leap off the table. She placed it back on the table and placed her cup calmly into it. Sometimes Ed was so blind… “Well, she’s at that time in her life,” she began, smiling. “You were the same at her age.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that to me…” Ed grumbled, crossing his arms and blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes angrily.

Izumi chuckled. “Have you tried talking to her to see what’s really wrong?”

Ed stared at her in astonishment. He frowned and looked away, his lips pressed together. “She’s made it clear that she doesn’t feel like I’m someone to confide in,” he muttered.

There was a clack as Izumi placed her cup back on the saucer. She rubbed her forehead and looked out of the kitchen window to the front yard, where Sid was playing with Joseph and Pinaco, with Van laughing beside them. Felix was sitting under the tree, a book open on her lap and her hair falling around her face. Every so often she would move to turn a page, but otherwise she was motionless. Even from this distance, Izumi could see the tense line of her mouth and the frown above her eyes. There was no mistaking the signs, she was hurting about something, be it feelings or something she’d got involved in. “Does she have a boy in her life,” she inquired, making Ed spit out his first sip of tea in an impressive spray.

“What!” Ed wiped his mouth and struggled for words.

“A boy? A girl? Any romance at all?”

Ed blustered around a bit before finally being able to answer. “No, I don’t think so… I mean… It would be a boy, I’m about 80% sure of that… but then again… Do you think that’s why she’s been acting weird?”

Izumi rolled her eyes. Oh Jeez… “Ed, look, I think there’s something she’s not telling you-“

“Yeah, I’d already figured that out.”

“AND right now, you’re not giving her a chance!”

Ed froze in shock. “Huh?”

“You need to spend some time with her. Try to find out what’s going on in her life that’s making her act out.”

“You want me to follow my own daughter?”

Izumi sighed, looking down at the table. “Sometimes drastic measures have to be taken…” she muttered. “But talk to her first, before you start following her.”

Ed nodded. “Thank you, teacher.” He stood and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair.

She laughed. “You don’t have to call me teacher anymore, Edward!” she called as he opened the door to the front yard.

He paused, the door slightly open and the sunlight flooding in behind him. “Yeah.” He turned and grinned at her. “But sometimes I just can’t help myself!”

 ***

A shadow fell over Felix’s book and she looked up, squinting against the harsh glare of the sun. Her father loomed over her. “What?” she demanded, frowning.

“We’re going on a walk,” he told her.

Felix looked down again. “Not interested. Go without me.”

“Uh uh, missy. You and me. On a walk. Right now. We need to talk.” Ed glared sternly down at his teenage daughter, his hands on his hips, no room for arguments.

The book dropped from her hands as Ed reached down and grabbed her arm, dragging her to her feet. “Whaaaat!! No fair! Why do I have to be the one picked on all the time! Muuum!” she yelled, struggling as her dad pulled her towards the gate. “Dad is trying to relate to me!!”

Winry waved and grinned from playing catch with Pinaco. “Have fun, sweetie! Try not to beat your father up!” she called.

Felix squirmed around, her wrist twisting in her father’s grip as she turned so she could walk beside him. “Where are we going?” she asked grumpily.

“I told you. For a walk,” he replied tersely.

There was a short pause as they walked down the street, Felix stomping along a few paces behind her father. “Why?” Felix asked.

He didn’t say anything, just carried on marching down the streets, turning into a side street lined with puddles and bins. “Here we go,” he said after a while, stopping outside an old bar and putting his hands on his hips.

Felix rubbed her wrist as he let her go, glaring at him. “What is this place?” she asked, staring at the tumbledown door, with an old wooden sign hanging above it. She could barely pick out the name.

“It’s the Devil’s Nest,” her father replied. “Somewhere very important to your uncle and me. Come on,” he commanded, and started towards the door.

“Uh, Dad, I think this place is closed,” Felix said, noting the complete absence of light inside, and the broken windows. Her father didn’t respond, just stepped over the threshold into the bar. She heard his footsteps sinking down into the depths of the building. “Hey, Dad?” she called. Oh man… This was so stupid… She growled inwardly and followed him, priming all her senses. She was very aware that if something attacked them, she wouldn’t be able to fight; because it would show her training and her cover would be blown.

The room lay in ruins, the floor cracked and split open with jagged, sharp cones sticking out at odd angles, and metal bits littered the dusty floor. Felix’s boots cracked a stone in two as she walked slowly into the room, towards Ed who was standing over something on the floor. Her sharp eyes caught sight of a smear of red on one of the walls. It looked like…

“Here,” Ed handed her something. It was a wide shaft of metal, like the tip of a knife, sharp as a razor and gleaming. It looked like it had been made a few days ago, not laying in the dust for ages.

“What is it?” she asked, holding it up to her face. Her breath blew the dust out of the lines in the metal, revealing the dull lustre beneath.

“That is my old automail,” Ed replied, smiling at it almost fondly. “Part of my arm, to be exact. I used to alchemise it to create a weapon like that.”

Felix’s eyes jerked up, and she almost dropped the blade. “Huh? This used to be…part of you!” she exclaimed, hardly believing her dad could create blades from metal arms.

He nodded. “Your mother made it. I lost it during a fight down here with Greed, back before we teamed up.”

Felix narrowed her eyes and went back to analysing the blade. On a whim, she lifted her right arm and put the it over her forearm, the blade covering her hand like a gauntlet. A small quake went through her as she realised it fit perfectly. Disturbed, she dropped it from her arm and held it at her side. “So… Why did you bring me here, dad?” she asked, her free hand on her hip. “I know it wasn’t just to pick up this.” She waved the metal at him.

Ed turned back to her. “Yeah. Actually it was, I’ve been looking for the missing bit for ages, and I just remembered where it was!” He laughed and made for the door.

Felix growled inwardly. Dammit… Her father could be infuriating sometimes. But still, the fact he’d decided to take her with him was kinda cool. “Guess you want it back then,” she said, holding it out.

He stopped at the door, one foot on the dusty threshold. Felix wondered if she’d said something wrong, he didn’t reply for a few moments. Then he turned and grinned at her. “Keep it. I’ve got loads.”

“Wait, I thought you said you’d been looking for it!” Felix squeaked at him, trotting behind as he ascended the steps two at a time.

Ed shrugged. “And now I’ve found it. Doesn’t matter who has it now, it was just bugging me.” So far, his plan was working, he hid his grin as he emerged into the sunlight. Step one: Give daughter something unique and show you trust her to take care of it – Complete. Step 2: Tell her something that used to bother you, leading to step 3: Make her confess what’s been going on with her. He was such a good father sometimes it was hard to believe. “You know,” he began, putting his hands in his pockets and walking slowly back to the house, Felix beside him, “This was where we first met Greed.”

“Greed?”

“A homunculus. The one that took over Ling’s body but ended up working with us,” he clarified. The sun was setting low over the houses, making the sky glow a peachy red. Small clouds knifed across it, sending pale streaks across the bright sky. “I was dubious at first, but ended up trusting him.”

“Uh huh,” Felix replied. She knew what he was doing. Trying to get her to fess up and tell him about her life. What a tool, like she wouldn’t work it out. Well, two can play at that game, Daddio! Time to get even… She smiled and planned her strategy. “Say…Dad?” she asked and slowed to a halt, looking down as if something was bothering her.

Ed turned and fought the urge to grin at the sight of her stance. Bingo! “Yes, honey?” he inquired sweetly and took a step forwards. “What’s the matter?”

Felix frowned and twisted her hands around the blade, carefully. “I…uh… I’m feeling really worried about something…” she said worriedly, forcing down a bubble of laughter at playing her father so well. “I think…”

“What is it? You can tell me,” he put a hand on her shoulder.

She took in a deep breath. “I’m worried that I may never become an alchemist!” she blurted out. Atta girl, play to his weaknesses. He also may tell you some secret alchemy tricks or some such, you might be able to use his knowledge to find out more about this mystery with the Guild. “What if I can’t live up to your standards?” Should she add tears? No…too much, too soon. Keep it real.

“Oh…” Ed’s fingers tightened around her shoulder. He sighed and knelt down, like he had done when she was upset as a child. “Listen to me, Felicia. You don’t have to live up to my standards. You just have to live, and be happy, that’s all I’ll ever want from you.”

Felix stared at him, shocked. What? Ok, she had been playing him, but did he really feel that way? “R-really?” she whispered.

“Really!” Ed grinned at her. “Is that what’s been bothering you?”

There was a pause. Felix honestly wanted to tell him everything, her worries about the Guild and also the crushing guilt she felt for the murders. “Yeah. That’s it.” She bit back the words that were trying to force themselves off her tongue, and gave her father a watery grin. “I’ll be ok now. And I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

Ed shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Now come on, we’ll be late for dinner.”

“Uh huh.”

 ***

“Hey you two, what were you doing for so long?” Winry asked as the two of them walked back through the little white gate.

“Just talking, right, Felicia?” Ed smiled down at his daughter.

“Yeah, dad,” she replied weakly, trying to return his smile. She gave up and dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to deal with being able to smile at her father again.

Winry blinked, then smiled. “Well, ok then. Get your coat, Felicia, we’re heading out now.” She watched as Felix ran into the house before walking towards her husband. “What was that all about?” she asked.

Ed shrugged. “Like I said, we were just talking. Don’t worry, Winry,” he reassured gently, resting a hand on her shoulder and tilting his head to look straight into her eyes. “She’s ok.”

Winry sighed, hugging her arms as she looked over her shoulder back towards the door. “Yeah, I…I just worry about her, that’s all.” She let herself be pulled into Ed’s strong hug.

“Come on, gear head.” He squeezed her tightly, kissing the top of her head. “She’s almost a woman now, she’s gotta learn how to stand on her own two feet.”

“Yeah, I know.” Winry sighed into his chest. “It’s just tough.”

Ed laughed. “No kidding.”


	3. Hell Raiser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix decides to pay a visit to an old friend... And we finally find out what happened to Selim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short guys! The next will hopefully be longer. Remember to subscribe or bookmark so you can read chapter 4!

**Hell Raiser**

 

 Selim Bradley stared out of the window at the full moon, his pale hands under his chin, the glow reflected in his wide, purple eyes. He tried not to think about the mark on his forehead, although it was always on his mind. Get it? His mind? His head? He gave a grim smile and stood up from his window seat, his bare feet sinking into the plush carpet as he walked back to bed.

 “Hello, Selim,” said a voice from behind him.

 He whirled around, his eyes flashing in shock. Felix stood in his room, silhouetted against the pearly backdrop reflecting off the window panes.

 “Oh, it’s you,” he leaned on the edge of his bed, clutching his heart. “What are you doing here?”

 “I had to sneak out again to be here, I have to talk to you,” she said as if she hadn’t heard him.

 “Oh,” he said again, sitting down. In their relationship, she did the talking. And the fighting. And pretty much everything else. “What is it?”

 “I think there’s corruption inside the Guild, tonight I was ordered to kill someone who didn’t have any evidence against them,” she said, walking further into his room and sitting on the elaborate chair by the desk. “I talked to Mustang about it, and he said we need to find out what is happening.”

 “Why are you telling me thi- Wait, WE? I don’t remember agreeing to that!” Selim jumped up, staring at her in shock.

 Felix waved a hand dismissively. “That’s not important, the point is, why was I told to murder someone…” she leant back and scratched her chin thoughtfully.

 “Felix! Are you even listening to me!?”

 “I mean, I know I’m not exactly the people-person type but _murdering_ someone to get to me?”

 “Felix!”

 “It just doesn’t seem right….So I think the first thing we should do is try and dig a little deeper into the Guild, to find out who gave the order…”

 “FEL-IX!”

 “We should probably get some help first, I know a few people who would-“

“WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!?”

 “Huh?” Felix looked up, startled. “There’s no need to yell, Selim,” she said sternly, shaking her head.

 Selim growled. “Look, you know I would be the first person to help you normally, but this is…. It’s too big! I can’t get involved, I just can’t.” He looked down at his shaking hands, clenched in his lap.

 “Oh.” Felix’s brow crinkled as she caught sight of his mark, partly hidden by his jet-black hair that flopped over it. “Ok. I guess it was mean of me to assume you would help. I shouldn’t have come here tonight, I’m sorry.” She stood and walked back to the open window, her shoulders hunched.

 Selim didn’t look at her. He remembered when they had first met each other. His mother had invited the Elric’s over for tea and they had brought their 4 year-old daughter, Felicia, with them. Selim had hidden in his room, crying because he was so ashamed of the mark and what it had meant. His mother didn’t tell him about Pride until he was 10, so at that point he hadn’t fully known what was wrong with him. He had just known it was something terrible. Then the door to his room opened and a little girl with hair almost down to her waist had wandered in, exploring. She’d caught sight of Selim huddled in the corner, hiding behind a bookcase and had run over, smiling at him. When he shrank back further she’d crouched in front of him, staring. Not at his mark, but into his eyes. No-one had ever done that before, at least not without a mixture of fear and pity. She screwed up her eyes as she gave a huge grin, grabbed his hand and dragged him off to play with her siblings and cousin. It was so long ago… she’d changed so much. He’d probably be the one to drag her out now.

“Wait, Felix!” His hands clenched into fists as he sat on the edge of his bed, resting in his lap. He sighed. “I wanna help you, you know I do, but… I don’t know…if I can,” he said, haltingly. He looked up at her, his amythest eyes wide and scared. “You know better than anyone why I have to be careful.”

Felix’s brow furrowed as she turned and stared at him. She walked over and sat next to him. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” she asked after a while. She didn’t need to elaborate on what she meant, it was only too obvious.

Selim’s fists were clenched to much that the bones shone through his already pale skin. He nodded curtly. “Yeah. It’s getting harder to control.”

She surveyed him with a tender, concerned sympathy that she would have never done if he was looked back at her. Dropping her gaze, she looked at the moon through the window, hanging in the sky like a pearl. She sighed. “For how long?”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. How long have you been struggling to control it, Selim?” she said, the force behind her words making him flinch back. Her eyes snapped across to stare at him, the rage barely controlled behind them. “How long have you been suffering by yourself, all alone, when you could have told me?” she hissed.

Selim swallowed. “I…I didn’t want… I can handle this by myself, ok!” He jumped up, standing over her, his shadow dancing on the wall behind him. “I’m not a child, you know what I am, so why do you come here acting like you’re the tough one? If you were really so smart you would stay away from me!” His voice rose to a yell at the end, and Felix’s heart stopped as she saw the shadow behind him growing.

“Selim…” she started, trying to calm him down.

“No! I’m so sick of you having to protect me all the time, staying friends with me after what happened!” An angry tear rolled down Selim’s cheek, burning his flesh. “I’m the one to blame for that, but you always have to act so much stronger than me! I’m almost 21 ok, I don’t need you to protect me anymore!” The tears were flowing freely down his face now, and he rubbed them away angrily.

“Selim, listen to me,” Felix began again, slowly drawing her feet up off the floor as the shadows crept towards them, trying to force herself to stay calm even though her heart was beating against her ribcage and her mind was telling her she would die. “I’m sorry, ok? Just sit down and talk to me, please.” She looked away from the shadows edging towards her and up at Selim. Her eyes widened as she saw his strong, murderous stance, unforgiving stare and shadows wrapping around his legs. He rarely got this out of control. She swallowed and opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out, only a small gasp of fright.

“You’re afraid.” Selim’s voice was low, and his head lowered as he stared through his fringe at her.

“N-No, Selim, I’m not.”

“Liar. You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?” Selim laughed, a cruel sound that made Felix’s insides crawl. “Why shouldn’t you be? I’m a monster.”

Felix frowned, something inside her snapping. “That’s enough, Selim.” Pushing her fright away, she placed one foot on the carpet, ignoring the icy coldness of the shadow underneath, seeping through her shoes and into her bones. She took a step towards him, the shadows underneath her rippling like water. “Now, you stop this and listen to me, right now.” She stood directly in front of him, forcing him to look at her. “You’re not a monster. You’re Selim, you’re my friend. Would I be friends with you if you were a monster?”

Selim’s eyes lost some of their blind rage as her words sunk in.

“You’re not alone.” Felix grabbed his chin as he tried to look away from her, making him see her earnest face. “You’re not alone, got that?” She smiled at him, seeing the shadows just behind him start to fade and lose their opacity. Carefully, she pulled him into a hug, waiting for the last of the shadows to dissolve. “You’re not alone, Selim,” she whispered.

All the fight seemed to go out of Selim as the room transformed back into normality. He slumped against her, his thin chest heaving, tears rolling down his face again. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed.

Felix hugged him tighter. “It’s ok, I promise.” She closed her eyes and let him cry on her shoulder. “It’s ok,” she repeated as Selim wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as if she was a life raft in an ocean of his despair.

“I promise I’ll never do that again, I’ll never scare you like that again,” Selim said desperately, his voice muffled.

She smiled. “You can’t scare me.”

“Liar.”

Felix drew in a sharp breath as she opened her eyes. He was right. She was the biggest liar in the world. Drawing away, she coughed awkwardly as her old inhibitions around him came back into place, walking back to the window and sitting on the cushioned seat below it. Raindrops began pattering against the glass again, and she looked out into the vast garden beyond it, the statues and trees lit eerily by the moon.

Selim watched her, embarrassed and ashamed of himself about the outburst, even though he knew she would never talk about it again unless he did. They’d known each other for long enough for him to trust her about that. Sighing, he walked over and leaned against the wall next to the window. “I’ll help you with the Guild,” he told her after a while.

“You don’t have to do that,” she replied, not looking at him, still staring at the rain. Her expression was hidden behind a sheet of golden hair, although it looked dark grey in the dimly lit room. “I don’t want to endanger you.” She jumped as a hand landed on her head. Looking up, she saw Selim’s purple eyes staring into hers as he smiled, patting her head.

“You won’t. I want to help you, because without me there to keep an eye on you who knows what you’ll do?”

Felix blinked in surprise, then smiled back at him. “Thanks.”

The two of them stayed silent for a while. Selim’s hand slid off Felix’s hair and he turned to look out the window, just like her. It had been raining for three nights, every night at the same time it would start raining. Not odd, considering what season it was, he was just suspicious of most things ever since he found out about the termination project that had been placed on his head since birth. That’s why he was always so cautious, knowing any step out of line could earn him a bullet in his brain. But this thing with the Draconian Guild… He had to get to the bottom of it, to help Felix, to clear his name, he didn’t know. Maybe he was just sick of being the one waiting. “Hey, Felix,” he said, his voice sounding horrendously loud even though he was speaking softly.

She jumped and looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“Didn’t you say you snuck out again?”

Felix frowned. “Yeah, so?”

Selim gave her a look. “Isn’t that two nights in a row?” he asked. From her guilty look he gathered his suspicions were true. “You should probably get back, after all you wouldn’t want to worry your parents?”

She snorted. “Who cares?” she wrapped her arms around her knees, staring out of the window.

“I do. Your parents are the reason why I’m alive, you should respect them for that at least,” he replied, more sharply than he’d meant to.

Felix didn’t answer. “Well,” she began, her voice low. She stood, and stared him directly in the eye, making him draw back from the anger in her gaze. “Maybe you should be their kid then, since you respect them so much more than I do,” she growled.

“I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t ever assume I don’t respect my parents, Selim,” she continued, silencing him. “Don’t ever.” She stared at him for a few more moments, before shaking her head and walking towards the window, opening it.

“Felix, come on, I didn’t mean it like that!” Selim grabbed her wrist as she crouched on the window frame.

She wrenched it away. “Just don’t, Selim. I’ll be in contact.” And with that she was gone, the raindrops landing eagerly on the place she had vacated. Selim stood and watched them for a second, before reaching out and closing the window again, shutting out the cold that she had left.


	4. Heavy Metal Gadget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix needs to add another ally to her list, but will this one co-operate?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long! I was having trouble with this chapter, and it took my friend giving me a kick up the arse to finally get me in gear. Enjoy! I won't leave it as long next time.

**Heavy Metal Gadget**

 

Felix stared at the building in front of her, her heart beating against her ribs. The sign read “Heavy Metal Shop”, and under it was crudely painted letters that spelt out “ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK”. Damn… Felix drew in a deep breath, tension rolling in the pit of her stomach. She hated to ask for her help… she especially hated coming here, but she had to. Ok, time to go, Felix! She gulped, took a step forwards and placed her hand on the black door of the shop, the windows next to it too steamed up to see anything through except the occasional flash.

“H-Hello?” she called as she walked through the shop, scrap metal and engine parts littering the floor and dusty counters. “Anyone home?” She stepped over a particularly large and filthy piece of machinery to make her way towards the back of the shop where the clanks and flashes were coming from. “Hello?” she tried again as she stood in the doorway, looking into the workshop, huge drilling machines and cutting machines and machines whose purpose she couldn’t even guess at. Sparks were falling like rain from almost each one of them as they worked, and Felix carefully stepped around them as she explored. “Where are you…” she muttered, frowning as she rounded the corner of a drill that was spewing sparks and metal chips like no tomorrow.

At the counter just behind the drill stood a young woman, only a little older than Felix, but ignoring her as she concentrated on hitting the white-hot metal before her with a hammer. Her bare arms and shoulders glistened with sweat and soot as she raised the hammer to bring it crashing down on the sheet again, the sparks reflecting in her goggles. That explained the clanging noise…

“Uh, hi there!” Felix said brightly, smiling nervously at her.

The woman didn’t look up, just hit the metal again.

“It’s been a while, huh?”

Again no answer.

“It’s me, Felix. Felix Elric, remember?” Felix sighed. It was starting to look like this whole trip had been a waste of time. At least her parents had given her permission to come here, since her mum needed more parts for her current project and the Heavy Metal Shop had the best pieces. “Hello, can you hear me?” she said a little louder.

“Of course I can hear you, you dumbass,” snapped the woman, setting down the hammer and picking up a pair of tongs. Taking hold of the metal sheet, she picked it up and lowered it into a bucket of water, steam filling the whole shop from the contact of water and fiery-hot metal. “What do you want?” Finally she turned to the other girl, pushing her goggles up on top of her head and sweeping a filthy hand over her short dark hair.

Felix held out the list Winry had given her. “You got any of these parts?”

The woman shrugged. “Might do. Depends.”

Felix drew in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down and braced herself on the workbench. “Depends on what, Gadget?”

“Do you have the money on you now?” The women shot her a look. “Or is it another “I’ll pay you later” job?”

“Gadget…. You know they don’t let me carry around their money anymore.”

“That’s your problem, not mine. I don’t work for free, and you can tell Winry that.”

Felix sighed. “You’re not even using these parts, look, just help me out here, ok?”

Gadget didn’t grace her with a reply. Instead she just turned around and picked the sheet of metal out of the bucket and placed it on the worktop, lifting a tiny hammer and nail and leaning low over her work as she carved her logo into the corner. “Why are you really here, Felix,” she said presently, her voice low.

“Huh? To pick up the parts, remember?”

Gadget glanced up at her and laughed slightly before lowered her head again. “You’re so full of shit, kid. You never run errands for your mum unless there’s something in it for you. So tell me…” She stood and placed her hands on the counter. “What do you want?”

Damn, Felix had forgotten how perceptive Gadget could be. She’d always underestimated her intelligence, and she always regretted it. “Fine. You’re right, I do need something from you.”

Gadget snorted. “Knew it. So what is it, kid?” Pulling her gloves off, she revealed hands covered in burns and blisters, with her pointer and middle finger of her left hand replaced with metal prosthetics. “Something big, I can see it on your face.”

Felix nodded. “Yeah. Pretty big.” She sighed and ran her hands over her hair. “I don’t know what to do, Gadget,” she muttered. “Honestly, I’m…. I don’t know who I can trust.” Looking back up at the woman who was finally paying attention to her, she shrugged slightly. “All I know is I can trust you, Van and Selim. That’s it. You’re all I’ve got to back me up on this one. Can I count on you?”

“What’s the mission?”

“Discover who’s corrupting the government.”

“Lethal force permitted?”

“We have to catch them by all means necessary.”

“Is Mustang involved?”

Felix paused before nodding. “He’s the one who ordered it.”

Gadget frowned, heaving a deep, deliberating sigh before standing back and crossing her arms. “You know my history with the Guild, and I’m guessing that’s what’s involved with all this.”

“I do, and I don’t care. You’re no more of a rebel than I am, and I need that on this mission. We’re not going to solve this through traditional tactics, I need…” She trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Deviants.”

She glanced up and grinned at Gadget. “Exactly. So, can I count you in?”

Gadget screwed up her face in thought. “Let’s see, taking down corrupt bastards, saving lives, kicking butt, showing up Mustang….” For the first time, the blacksmith grinned. “Yeah, I think you can count me in.”

 ----

So that was… Selim, Gadget, and Van that she now had on her team. Felix frowned as she walked down the blisteringly hot street, her arms full of parcels. Well, she hadn’t actually asked Van if he could help her, but he was part of the Guild so surely he would. The fact he was her cousin was beside the point, family came after the Guild, and he was distant family anyway. But he was only in communications and espionage, not a field operative like she was, would he be up to the task? Guess there was only one way to find out: she would have to ask him directly. Stifling a groan, she rolled her eyes as she neared the train station. This travelling around asking people was really starting to grate on her, she was more of a hit first, ask questions never kind of person, not some diplomat like Mustang or Van. Still… it was nice seeing old friends, she reflected as she absent-mindedly purchased a ticket back to Resembool.

Setting down her parcels on the bench next to her, she stretched her legs out and crossed her arms. The sun beat down on the platform, making the stonework on the building opposite the tracks wave and oscillate. The sound of cicadas filled her ears with their steady drone, drilling into her head, and she could hear the sound of cars from the town centre. Apart from that, the station was empty and devoid of life, save for a gecko scampering up from the rail tracks towards the bench. Felix watched the little green beast almost glide towards her, not moving as it hesitantly shot up the bench leg and onto the seat next to her. It stopped, staring at her with one beady black eye. She stared right back. Very slowly, she moved her arm to rest her hand, palm upwards on the seat next to her. The gecko’s eyes flicked to it, then back at her. She didn’t move as it slowly crept, foot by foot, towards her hand. As it rested one scaly claw on her hand, a smile ebbed over her face, remembering how she would do this as a child. Her father had taught her how to remain perfectly still as the lizard sat on her hand, watching the world go by, laughing when she giggled and scared it away. So long ago… she had been practically a baby, back when her dad didn’t have all the pressures on him that he did today. He tried to hide it, but she could tell he was getting involved with Mustang and the government again. Neither Ed or Mustang had told her anything, but she could tell, Ed had the same tired, old look in his eyes that she saw every morning when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. But why? Was Mustang recruiting State Alchemists again?

Felix didn’t know what to think. The State Alchemists were mostly disbanded after the war, being seen as too much of a risk, but a few were allowed to remain. Major Armstrong, Mustang himself before he became Fuhrer, and Dr Marcoh were the only original state alchemists left after the take-over, as many alchemists had been supporting Fuhrer Bradley and many of them had died in the attacks, both in the war and from Scar. Now there were only a few dozen alchemists in the group, and Selim was one of them.

Selim…. What had happened last night? Felix sighed loudly, forgetting about the gecko, but it didn’t seem to mind. It stared up at her pained face. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what Selim was, of course she knew, but how much did he remember? Mustang had told her Selim should have lost all memories of Pride when he had been reborn, but obviously some of it remained. He still had residual powers, and that scared her. No matter how sweet and gentle Selim normally was, he had a dark side which few had seen. Felix remembered when she’d first encountered it…

 ----

It had been during the State Alchemist interviews, where each candidate was tested for skill. Ed had brought her along, since this was back in the days when they couldn’t be separated from each other. Her older brother hadn’t shown any interest in his father’s work, more in Winry’s automail shop, but Felix had been fascinated by alchemy and Ed had been brimming with pride for her. So he had brought her along and held her hand tightly as the soldiers showed the candidates in.

Felix recognised Selim as soon as he walked in, since this was a few months after they had met in Selim’s mansion, and she waved. Selim had shot her a tiny smile, his face bone white from stress and fear.

“You may begin at any time, Selim Bradley,” said Mustang. His dark, sharp eyes surveyed the boy in front of him. At 14, he was set to be one of the youngest applicants to the State Alchemists, aside from Edward Elric, and Mustang was concerned and a little curious as to what technique Selim would use.

The boy took a deep breath, closing his eyes and spreading his arms out to the side. An eerie silence fell over the large room as all the energy seemed to flow towards Selim, making his short hair drift around his head as If he was underwater. Ed recognised it as the sign of a transmutation, his jaw clenching as he clutched Felix’s hand tighter. It was a powerful one, he though as he leaned forwards slightly to get a better look. Felix glanced up at him quickly, then back at Selim, her large golden eyes wide with worry.

Selim frowned in concentration as the circular mark on his forehead lit up with a ghostly blue glow, thin lines etching across the circle to form strange signs and patterns. At the same time, two circles appeared either side of his neck, their glow cutting through his black shirt and into Felix’s eyes. A roaring sound rushed through her head as Selim opened his eyes, and she stifled a scream when she saw their bright crimson glow. He suddenly seemed unreachable, although he was only a few feet away.

Mustang lifted his chin, his eyes narrowed to deadly slits as he deliberated. Such incredible power, and from a former homunculus it could be very dangerous. But… he had orders from Drummond not to jump to any conclusions, after 14 years of observation the boy appeared normal.

Selim took a deep breath and lowered his hands to the floor, the surface cracking as the light grew fiercer and bolts of electricity crackled down from his shoulders. A larger circle, with the same pattern as the ones on his body appeared below his palms and the glow intensified to a bright light. Felix squeezed her eyes shut, the light burning into her eyes, hiding her face in her father’s sleeve. Then… everything fell silent. The roaring sound subsided, and the room was returned to normal, the strange pull of energy disappearing. Hesitantly, she uncovered her face and looked at the centre of the room again. Selim stood in the middle of the uncracked floor, a large, perfectly detailed lotus blossom sprouting up from the floor beside him. It was so accurate Felix almost thought her fingers would brush soft petals instead of hard stone if she reached out and touched it.

Ed glanced up at Mustang, seeing his old friend looking troubled. “He has… quite an incredible power, doesn’t he?” he said quietly.

Mustang’s lips tightened as he nodded once. “Yeah, he does. But do you think we can contain it?”

Ed frowned, looking over at the boy waiting for a response. “I have no idea,” he said, with a slight smile. “But I think we can try, and we can use power like that, Mustang. You know we can.”

“Right. Power,” Mustang replied gruffly. That’s what it all came down to really, didn’t it. “Selim Bradley, congratulations. You performed a perfect transmutation and showed exceptional skill. Welcome to the State Alchemists.”

Selim’s eyes widened in surprise, his mouth spreading open in a grin. “Th-Thank you, General Mustang, sir!” he called, his face flushing bright red. His eyes, now back to their normal colour, snapped to Felix’s gold ones, his grin fading as he saw her terrified expression.

“Please report to Central Command at 0900 hours tomorrow, Bradley,” Mustang continued, his insides flinching at the sound of the boy’s surname. It carried a lot of weight in this world, having a name like that. “That is all.” And with that he, and the other instructors turned to march out of the room.

“Come on, let’s go home, ok?” Ed said with a smile to his daughter. She didn’t reply, only continued staring at Selim, unable to rip her eyes away from his. He looked so different now. He had incredible power and she couldn’t see him the same way anymore. He had changed in those few minutes, and he seemed on a whole other level to her now. Even when she finally dropped her gaze to follow her father out of the room, Selim’s grey eyes still remained in her mind, staring at her with a mixture of sadness and confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please kudos if you liked it, and keep an eye out for more chapters!


End file.
